


warm winds

by airbendertylee



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Zuko needs Katara okay, almost canon compliant, not giving away too much yet, takes place after smoke and shadow, well its really enemies to friends to lovers but yall already saw atla and we're past that fellows, you dont need to have read the comics though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2020-09-28 21:07:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20432447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/airbendertylee/pseuds/airbendertylee
Summary: After everything, there is still so much to be done. When the war ended they didn't know everything they needed to know.The Northern Fire Nation city Sun Sei is raising suspicion and the Fire Nation's military is unemployed. Firelord Zuko needs all the help he can get, so he writes his friends.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written in a while and this is my first ATLA fic but I've been in the fandom for a while. This has been brewing in my mind for over a decade so I guess it's time to share the first bit. Thanks for reading :)

As the summer sun scorched the palace garden, Zuko finally got a moment of peace under the shade of a large tree by the turtleduck pond. He had been in meetings all day. Lately, the main concern is finding jobs for those who were serving the Fire Nation military. 

For a century, the people of the Fire Nation relied on the military for income. Most able bodied young men, and a decent portion of young women, enlisted at some point in their lives. Even those who were not directly employed relied on the military to buy the weapons they made or the food from their farms. 

Now the war is over and the Fire Nation is broke. 

_Maybe Avatar Roku should have tried the “you’ll bankrupt the nation” argument on Sozin,_ Zuko silently joked to himself. 

Now the Fire Nation has a surplus of people who have only been trained to fight, people who were brainwashed into thinking they had to kill to “spread the scientific advancement of the Fire Nation.” Integrating them back into civilian life is going to be a struggle. 

Zuko has previously allocated his military to help with the transition from Fire Nation control to Earth Kingdom and self governance in the colonies but that came with problems. Fire Nation soldiers are an unsettling sight to people from other nations. They remember when people in the same uniforms burned their villages down and killed members of their families. 

_How did Katara ever forgive me? _

The bigotry of many in his military led to conflicts, many of which were violent, some unspeakably so. Zuko grew cautious and instead worked with the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes and Aang to form a joint security force. The Fire Nation would send screened soldiers to work alongside Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom soldiers. While that helped many of his men learn about how what they were taught about the Fire Nation was propaganda, there was a lot of in-fighting. 

Zuko wished he had more people around he actually trusted to advise him. All he had was his mother and Kiyi, neither of whom were well versed in making policy. His mother was not involved with governance when she was living in the palace before with his father. She was not allowed in the meetings. 

Uncle Iroh was running a tea shop in Ba Sing Sei. His father was in prison. His sister was… well… somewhere. 

_Maybe Azula could be helpful,_ Zuko wondered. _No, she’s unhinged. She kidnapped children to try to prove a point, including her own sister._

Letters from Iroh were his biggest guiding force but those were often “do what you think is right” and the problem is, Zuko does not know. 

His days were now spent mostly among people at least thirty years his senior. He tried to weed out the ones he identified as still Fire Nation supremacists but that was pretty much everyone. His council had grown very small. 

Mai was never very interested in governing or politics. She did not care about much outside of her family and friends. _And her new boyfriend. _

Ty Lee was with her family in Sun Sei, in the Northern region of the Fire Nation. 

She could definitely come here. _She probably wants to come here._ Zuko remembered that night on the beach where Ty Lee confessed that she did not want to be part of a “matched set.” _She’s a good person and she’s from the Fire Nation. The rest of the council will have to deal._

A turtleduck quacked and Zuko looked down to its expectant face, “hey, buddy.”

Zuko scratches his tiny head, “Sorry, I can’t stay.”

He set off towards the Firelord’s quarters. _His quarters. It’s been years and it’s still weird. _

He spots a servant in the hallway and stops her, “I’m sorry I don’t know your name.”

“Oh, it’s no problem Firelord- I mean your majesty- I apologize - I am new to the palace,” she stammered out. 

“You can just call me Zuko,” Zuko attempted to lessen her nerves but proved to be unsuccessful when panic crossed her greyish brown eyes. “Or whatever you’re comfortable with!”

“Thank you, Firelord,” her tone less nervous. 

“So what is your name?” Zuko repeated. 

“Oh!” she looked surprised, “It’s Souma.” 

“It’s nice to meet you Souma. Where are you from? I’m sorry for the questions I just like to know who is working here so they know they can talk to me if they have a complaint... or they need something or... yeah,” Zuko babbled awkwardly. 

“A small village on the Northern coast, Firelord,” Souma responded, which made sense. She had the lighter hair and eye color of many Northern Fire Nation Citizens, like Ty Lee. Her hair was much shorter than Ty Lee’s, however, cut just above her shoulders. She was bigger than Ty Lee as well but looked younger. There was no denying that they looked alike, somehow. 

“Near Sun Sei?” Zuko asked.

“Yes, Firelord,” something flashed in her eyes. 

“Do you know Ty Lee?” Zuko wondered with immediate regret. 

“No, Firelord. Do you need my assistance?” She spoke with an urgency that caught Zuko off guard. 

“No - wait! - Yes, could you please ask the kitchen to bring me the turtleduck food. I need to write a quick letter but after that I need to feed them,” Zuko requested. 

“Yes, Firelord. Are you sure you don’t want to have the servants feed them?” Souma seemed confused. 

“I’d say I do it to take a load off of the servants here but I honestly just enjoy the time away from being Firelord,” Zuko chuckled. 

“That makes sense, sir. I will go to the kitchens,” she spun and quickly scuffled away. 

_Huh.___

_ _Zuko finally made it to his quarters and sat at his desk to write. _ _

__

__

_Dear Ty Lee,  
I am sorry to trouble you while you are with your family. I would like to invite you to stay at the capital to serve as an advisor on my council. I could use your perspective because you’re young and have a good heart. That’s hard to find around here. This is only an invitation and you are free to decline. _

_ _ _Sincerely,  
Zuko_ _ _

_ _

Zuko sealed the letter and tied it to the leg of a messenger hawk. _ She’ll come._ A breeze gently ruffled the curtains as the hawk flew off. 


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long time it took to update! I have been very busy with work and haven't had much time alone. Anyway it's here now!

Ty Lee’s carriage was finally reaching the palace gates. She was not quite sure why Zuko had sought her out but she knew he must have needed her help somehow. Zuko knew he could trust her and that had to be a major factor. She also knew it had to do with her family. The rest of the Fire Nation wouldn’t want Zuko around a bunch of people from other nations and Ty Lee was “safe.” 

She was happy to be away from her family with a legitimate reason. She did not have to lie. “The Firelord requested me” is a legitimate excuse. 

_I can do whatever I want now. _

The carriage halted causing Ty Lee to push the curtains aside in her cabin to see the palace gates. She took a deep breath.

_Azula isn’t here. Mai isn't here. This is different. _

Ty Lee closed the curtain quickly, causing the fabric to flutter. 

\---  
“Firelord, Ty Lee has arrived at the Palace.” A guard alerted Zuko.

“Thank you. I will great her personally.” Zuko made his way to the front door to find Ty Lee hopping out of her carriage. 

“Zuko!” Ty Lee ran up to Zuko and jumped to hug him, “I missed you!”

“It’s great to see you,” Zuko smiled, “I am glad you could make it.”

“Well, you can’t really refuse an order from the Firelord,” Ty Lee joked, but it still made Zuko flustered. 

“I didn’t mean to order you - I mean I just hoped - you don’t have to -” Zuko stammered.

Ty Lee cut him off, “Zuko! I was only kidding. I was happy to get out of my family’s house. An invitation from the Firelord is the perfect excuse!” 

“Why were you at your family’s house? I thought you were a great fit for the Kyoshi Warriors,” Zuko wondered. 

Ty Lee looked around at the guards and servants, “Can we talk somewhere privately?”

“Of course. I will take you to your room and we can talk there,” Zuko gestured toward the hallway. They walked in silence to one of the guest bedrooms. He opened the door, “Will this be okay?”

“It’s perfect!” Ty Lee said, in her usual chipper.

“Okay so do you want to talk about why you left the Kyoshi Warriors?” Zuko interrogated. 

“Do you want to talk about why you invited me here?” Ty Lee redirected. 

“I need your help,” Zuko said, simply. 

“I’m not really experienced in leading a nation but I’ll do whatever I can to help,” Ty Lee replied, unassured. 

“Well it’s not just the leadership I need help with. You’re the only person that knows Azula as well as I do - well probably better that isn’t-”

“Your ex-girlfriend?” Ty Lee finished.

“Well, yeah,” Zuko shrugged. 

“I haven’t heard from your sister. I would have told you,” Ty Lee assured. 

“I know I don’t think you’re hiding anything,” Zuko said and Ty Lee looked down, “but I would like to know why you left the Kyoshi Warriors.”

“My family wanted me home. They said I had been away too long,” Ty Lee explained still looking at her feet. 

“You traveled with the circus and then Azula for so long and they didn’t have a problem with that. Did they have a problem with you fighting alongside Earth Kingdom citizens?” Zuko asked.

“What? No - not everyone in the Fire Nation is a nationalist. Especially up north…” Ty Lee trailed off. 

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to insult your family. I’m just used to the people here,” Zuko kicked himself internally.

“How much time have you spent in the Fire Nation?” Ty Lee wondered.

“Most of my life, besides the years I was banished and when I was training Aang,” Zuko furrowed his brow in confusion. Ty Lee should know this.

“No I mean outside of the capital and Ember Island,” Ty Lee clarified. 

“Huh,” Zuko had never really been to other parts of the Fire Nation, besides traveling through them or short visits to meet with nobles. He had never really walked the streets or gotten to know the regular citizens. He had seen more of the Earth Kingdom and the Air Temples than he has seen of his own nation in terms of how the average person lives day to day, “I should see more of the nation. Thank you, Ty Lee. You’ve already been more helpful than the majority of my advisors.”

“That’s what friends are for. Speaking of which, have you asked Suki, Sokka, Aang, Katara, or Toph for help?” Ty Lee asked. 

“They’re really busy. Toph has her metalbending academy and Aang is the avatar,” Zuko tried to explain. 

“Aang IS the avatar! That’s why you should seek out his help, and the rest of his friends. He is supposed to restore balance in the Fire Nation too, and Agni knows we need it,” Ty Lee urged, hope gleaming in her eyes.

“He can’t stay here all the time. Especially with all the unrest in the former colonies,” Zuko argued.

“He doesn’t have to stay here all the time! He has a flying bison. He, and the others, can travel more easily than anyone in the world,” Ty Lee offered. 

“I don’t want to burden them with healing the nation that took so much from them,” Zuko admitted. 

“I don’t think they will see it as a burden. They want the people in the Fire Nation to be successful too, just not successful in the way that your ancestors wanted,” Ty Lee’s usual cheerful attitude was starting to irritate Zuko.

“You don’t understand,” he said. 

“I don’t understand being Firelord or I don’t understand our friends?” Ty Lee asked, pointedly. 

Zuko was taken aback and could not offer a response. 

“I don’t understand much of being Firelord, besides that you should probably be doing Firelord stuff right now. But I do know our friends and the love you Zuko and they want to help. You need to understand that,” Ty Lee spoke with confidence and Zuko knew she was right. 

“I know. And you’re right. I am supposed to be in a meeting right now,” Zuko admitted.

“Go! I’ll be here when you’re free,” Ty Lee gestured towards the door.

“Okay, okay,” Zuko agreed, “Just let Souma know if you need anything.”

“Souma?” Ty Lee looked confused. 

“Yes, she’s a servant here. She’s probably right outside I’ll introduce you,” Zuko opened the door and stuck his head out and sure enough, Souma was waiting outside. 

She smiled and asked, “Do you need anything, Firelord?” 

“Yes,” Zuko answered and opened the door wider to reveal Ty Lee who somehow looked more confused than before, “This is Ty Lee. Ty Lee, this is Souma.”

The two girls locked eyes with a strange intensity that Zuko wanted to question, but he really had to go, “Okay, so if you guys are good, I’m going to go to this meeting.”

“Go!” Ty Lee commanded.

“Fine, I’ll see you later,” Zuko said before making his way to the meeting. 

\----

When Zuko was finally gone, Ty Lee pulled out a piece of paper from the desk in her room and started to write.

_Dear Aang, _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what y'all think :)


End file.
